Disclaimer:  Check the last couple of chapters.

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Cheers

Chapter 16: Secrets On the Green

"Fore!"

Taking a step back as he watched the ball sail in a graceful arc across the air, Tristan felt a smile of satisfaction steal across his face. Another perfect day in the Hartford Country Club, and another perfect shot. Life was good.

"Nice aim," Tristan heard a voice behind him say. Turning around, he caught a glimpse of the merry-eyed gentleman standing a little further off, dressed in similar golfing attire. 

Abandoning his game, Tristan walked over to the elderly man. "Good morning, Mr. Rosenbaum. How are you today?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. DuGrey," Allen Rosenbaum responded, a deferential smile on his lips. He was, in fact, a long-time business partner of the DuGrey family, and Tristan had nothing but admiration for the man, who throughout his career had earned the reputation of being a hard-hitting deal driver, thanks to his numerous successful wheelings and dealings. "And yourself?"

"Oh, I'm doing great." Tristan gestured to the golf course behind him. "Care to join me for a few rounds?"

Taking a moment to inspect his golf clubs, Mr. Rosenbaum nodded. "I believe I will take you up on that offer."

Three hours and several holes later, Tristan was all but ready to retire to the club's saloon. On the way back to the club, Mr. Rosenbaum grinned slyly at Tristan. "I heard that Richard Gilmore's granddaughter is engaged to Robert Matheson."

"The wedding's in a few weeks," Tristan said, his brow creasing in a frown.

Mr. Rosenbaum took in the younger man's tense expression. "And you're not pleased."

Tristan stopped. "I – what makes you say that?"

"I'm psychic," Mr. Rosenbaum joked. "And it helped that you had a scowl on your face when I brought it up. I don't blame you, of course. It is my honest opinion that Robert Matheson is an arrogant, uncouth hooligan."

"That's a mild way of putting it," Tristan smiled grimly. "And what worries me even more is that no one seems to know anything about him."

The elderly gentleman scrutinized Tristan's face. "Perhaps you're not looking in the right places."

"I've tried running searches on him, and I've asked around. I spent two days in Boston trying to track down someone who might know something about Robert," Tristan explained. "But I've got nothing so far."

"Should that come as a surprise to you?" Mr. Rosenbaum raised his eyebrows. "My dear boy, you won't find anything on Robert Matheson, no matter how hard you try. Let's just say a small fortune was spent keeping all of Robert's past indiscretions under wraps. Ah yes, money hides a multitude of sins, and Robert is proof of that."

A sense of déjà vu overcame Tristan as he heard the words he'd spoken to Jess and Dean a few days before being thrown back at him. "So you're saying that his family spent a fortune covering up – what? What could Robert possibly be hiding?"

"Everyone has their dirty secrets," Mr. Rosenbaum mysteriously replied. "Robert simply has a lot more of them than you'd imagine. But what's in the past is in the past. Let's leave it at that, eh?"  Catching sight of the rebellious look on Tristan's face, the man chuckled. "Although I see you're not prepared to do that just yet."

"In a few weeks, my friend will be marrying this guy," Tristan said, the worry evident in his voice. "How can I just sit back and watch the show when this might be the biggest mistake she could ever make?"

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Mr. Rosenbaum shook his head, his words sounding more like a statement than a question.

"That's the strange thing about it," Tristan's lips twitched in a glum smile. "As weird as it sounds, given the circumstances, I do care about Rory Gilmore, and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I'm not entirely sure if I should be doing this, but…" Mr. Rosenbaum was silent for a moment, looking deep in thought. Finally, he glanced up. "Have you ever heard of INFO Corp.?"

"Yes, a few times," Tristan said. "But my firm has never had any dealings with them. Why do you ask? What does it have to do with–"

"INFO Corp. is headed by Colin Matheson and Martin Compton." Mr. Rosenbaum interrupted, taking in the confused look in Tristan's eyes. "Father and grandfather of Robert Matheson respectively."

"I still don't get it," Tristan confessed, his tone bemused.

"If you've been doing your homework and keeping track of the market, you'll know that INFO Corp. has been hankering after a merger with Hayden-Gilmore Enterprises since time immemorial."

Tristan's eyes widened as the final piece of the puzzle shifted into place. "That's the company Rory's dad owns. And Rory's granddad is the deputy manager. So if Robert marries into the family, that would mean…"

"Exactly," Mr. Rosenbaum nodded his approval. "Well done, Mr. DuGrey."

"That's – I mean…" Speechless, Tristan shook his head with amazement. "I should have known."

"And I'll probably burn on the rack for telling you all this," Mr. Rosenbaum smiled ruefully. "Thirty years of business ethics, gone straight out the window. The scrapes I get myself in!" He glanced at Tristan. "But if it helps you out–"

"And it does," Tristan affirmed. "Thank you, Mr. Rosenbaum. I appreciate this."

"You're welcome." The old man patted Tristan's arm briefly. "One more thing, Mr. DuGrey. What you ultimately choose to do with what I've told you is completely your decision. I hope you're aware of the possible repercussions that might arise should this information be misused."

"I understand," Tristan nodded firmly.

The serious look on Mr. Rosenbaum's face was replaced with a smile. "Now let's put this behind us for the moment. What do you say we go get something to drink?"

Tristan grinned. "Absolutely."

As they slowly made their way back to the club, Tristan's mind was awhirl with all the new information he'd been given. Of all the things he'd been expecting, this situation definitely wasn't one of them. He hid a smile.

Just wait till Jess and Dean hear about this!

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To Be Continued…